Overview

A must-read for the craftsperson, artisan and artist. ""In his beautiful book, Peter Korn invites us to understand craftsmanship as an activity that connects us to others, and affirms what is best in ourselves.""-Matthew Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft Woodworking, handicrafts -the rewards of creative practice, bringing something new and meaningful into the world through one's own vision, make us fully alive. Peter Korn explains his search for meaning as an Ivy-educated child of the middle class who finds employment as a novice carpenter on Nantucket, transitions to self-employment as a designer/maker of fine furniture, takes a turn at teaching at Colorado's Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and finally founds a school in Maine: the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, an internationally respected, non-profit institution. How does the making of objects shape our identities? How does creative work enrich our communities and society? What does the process of making things reveal to us about ourselves? Korn poignantly probes for answers in this book that is for the artist, artisan, crafter, do-it-yourselfer inside us all.

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9781567925463

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Reviews

What a superb book this is... the central premise being so clearly intelligent, so engagingly correct... As it is, the perfectly planned prose and stylish design could elevate Peter Korn's account of his life and career, as a craftsman (a furniture maker) to the status of a modern classic. This is one cool piece of work. -- Robert Crampton The Times (U.K.)

“The style of Peter Korn’s lovely, patient and fastidious ode to craft, Why We Make Things and Why It Matters, mirrors the technical precision and style he has used in his career as a furniture maker and teacher.”—The New York Times “In his beautiful book, Peter Korn invites us to understand craftsmanship as an activity that connects us to others, and affirms what is best in ourselves.”—Matthew Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft “An uplifting title for artisans, novice or skilled, who will benefit from the ideas of a kindred spirit.”—Library Journal “Peter Korn’s brilliant new book resonates with me as a visual artist in a profound way. I share his passion for craft and admire his ability to take a plank of wood and fashion anything he sets his mind to. Throughout the centuries, furniture makers and painters have shared a set of belief systems centered on craft. The pleasure and calm that I get as a painter fashioning a complicated work from colored dirt on canvas is, I believe, the same pleasure and peace that Peter Korn and his students get as craftsmen.”—Chuck Close

Author Information

Peter Korn is the founder and executive director of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. A furniture maker since 1974, he exhibits in galleries and museums around the country. He is also the author of award-winning how-to books, including Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship.

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